British Navy Admiral of the White. Born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England, his mother died when he was nine and he went to sea three years later abord "HMS Raisonnable" under his uncle Captain Maurice Suckling. By 1777 he was a Lieutenant and assigned to the West Indies, where he saw action during the American Revolution. Promoted post-Captain in 1779 at the age of 20, his first command was the frigate "HMS Hinchingbroke." When the French Revolutionary Wars began in 1793, Nelson was given command of "HMS Agamemnon" and was assigned to the Mediterranean. During the capture of Corsica in 1794, he was hit in the face by a blast of gravel and blinded in his right eye. In 1797 he was knighted as a member of the Order of the Bath and was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue largely for his role in the British victory at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent. In 1798, in command of his own fleet of fourteen ships, he destroyed a French fleet of seventeen at the Battle of the Nile, effectively marooning Napoleon Boneparte's forces. He was then granted the title of Baron Nelson. Later, he was shot in the arm and lost almost his entire right arm to amputation. In 1799, he was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Red, and in 1801 he was promoted to Vice Admiral of the Blue. Within a few months he was involved in the Battle of Copenhagen. After his success there he was promoted to Vice Admiral of the White, the fifth highest rank in the Royal Navy, and took command of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1803 when he was assigned to "HMS Victory". On October 21, 1805 with 27 ships of the line, he engaged the numerically superior Franco-Spanish fleet of 33. After the "HMS Victory" cripped the French flagship she moved on to the "Redoutable", and the two ships became entangled. Snipers in the fighting tops of the "Redoutable" poured fire down onto the deck of the Victory, and Nelson was hit. A bullet entered his shoulder, pierced his lung, and came to rest at the base of his spine. Admiral Nelson remained conscious for four hours, but died belowdecks soon after his greatest victory was achieved. his body was preserved in a barrel of brandy wine for his return to London where he was given a state funeral. He was laid to rest in a coffin made from the mast of his "HMS L'Orient" which had been salvaged after the Battle of the Nile. (bio by: Iola)